Abstract
There are various measures currently in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19); however, in some cases, these can have an adverse effect on the acoustic environment in buildings. For example, transparent acrylic partitions are often used in eating establishments, meeting rooms, offices, etc., to prevent droplet infection. However, acrylic partitions are acoustically reflective; therefore, reflected sounds may cause acoustic problems such as difficulties in conversation or the leakage of conversation. In this study, we performed a prototyping of transparent acrylic partitions to which a microperforated panel (MPP) was applied for sound absorption while maintaining transparency. The proposed partition is a triple-leaf acrylic partition with a single acrylic sheet without holes between two MPP sheets, as including a hole-free panel is important to prevent possible droplet penetration. The sound absorption characteristics were investigated by measuring the sound absorption in a reverberation room. As the original prototype showed sound absorption characteristics with a gentle peak and low values due to the openings on the periphery, it was modified by closing the openings on the top and sides. The sound absorption performance was improved to some extent when the top and sides were closed, although there remains the possibility of further improvement. For this study, only the sound absorption characteristics were examined in the prototype experiments. The effects during actual use will be the subject of future study.
Highlights
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about various changes in our everyday life
We have proposed the use of microperforated panel (MPP) as a spatial sound absorber [9,10]
The authors focused on the sound absorption effect of the attached perforated panels. Both are important viewpoints regarding the improvement of transparent partitions, and they complement each other. Both viewpoints are important, this study focuses on the problem of insufficient sound absorption; here, MPPs are proposed to add sound absorption effects to improve the above-described problems caused by insufficient sound absorption
Summary
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about various changes in our everyday life. -called ‘social distancing’ has resulted in people not gathering densely in one place, leading to sparse offices, auditoria and other meeting facilities. According to the new normal, it is important to maintain distance between persons, to facilitate enough ventilation and to wear face masks to avoid droplet infection. To avoid droplet infection, a face mask and a partition is often used, especially in places where people are rather closely situated or cannot wear masks, for example, eating establishments, shop counters and meeting rooms. In eating establishments, partitions are often used in Japan. In these establishments, to avoid a feeling of confinement, transparent partitions are often employed. Transparent partitions are usually preferred, both to maintain a sense of openness and to allow people to see who they are talking to
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